


Gloaming - Crazy Cat Tale Version

by cutsycat



Series: Dictionary.Com Word of the Day Drabbles [1352]
Category: NCIS
Genre: Gen, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-24
Updated: 2019-08-24
Packaged: 2020-09-25 10:10:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,004
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20375050
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cutsycat/pseuds/cutsycat
Summary: Tony has to sleep, but Gibbs isn't tired since he's been napping on Tony's shoulder all day. What's going to happen now?





	Gloaming - Crazy Cat Tale Version

**Author's Note:**

  * For [jane_x80](https://archiveofourown.org/users/jane_x80/gifts).

> Another dictionary.com word of the day drabble. This time from 01/12/2003 for the word [gloaming](http://www.dictionary.com/wordoftheday/2003/01/12/gloaming).
> 
> gloaming[ gloh-ming ]  
noun  
twilight; dusk.
> 
> This is for jane_x80 as it's her comments that led to this series starting. You can find the comments on previous entries in the series. 
> 
> This is a continuation of [Portend](http://archiveofourown.org/works/8885206), [Ratiocination](http://archiveofourown.org/works/8907304), [Equivocate](http://archiveofourown.org/works/8919556)... [Transmute](https://archiveofourown.org/works/12516188), [Dolorous](https://archiveofourown.org/works/12611772), [Fatidic](https://archiveofourown.org/works/12641916), [Remunerate](https://archiveofourown.org/works/12740088), [Conflate](https://archiveofourown.org/works/12789753), [Bilious](https://archiveofourown.org/works/12815319), [Tintinnabulation](https://archiveofourown.org/works/12849654), [Agitprop](https://archiveofourown.org/works/12923004), [Voluble - Crazy Cat Tale](https://archiveofourown.org/works/13377990), [Desideratum - Crazy Cat Tale Version](https://archiveofourown.org/works/13775349), [Farrago - Crazy Cat Tale](https://archiveofourown.org/works/13813989), [Proclivity - Crazy Cat Tale](https://archiveofourown.org/works/13888944), [Recalcitrant - Crazy Cat Tale Version](https://archiveofourown.org/works/14030937), [Collude - Crazy Cat Tale Version](https://archiveofourown.org/works/15263964), [Vociferous - Crazy Cat Tale Version](https://archiveofourown.org/works/15491991), [Fulminate - Crazy Cat Tale Version](https://archiveofourown.org/works/15659430), [Chagrin - Crazy Cat Tale Version](https://archiveofourown.org/works/16019081), [Tortuous - Crazy Cat Tale Version](https://archiveofourown.org/works/16028429), [Perspicacity - Cracy Cat Tale Version](https://archiveofourown.org/works/16130096), [Hirsute - Crazy Cat Tale Version](https://archiveofourown.org/works/16694437), [Recondite - Crazy Cat Tale Version](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17473211), [Fortuitous - Crazy Cat Tale Version](https://archiveofourown.org/works/18732697), [Legerdemain - Crazy Cat Tale Version](https://archiveofourown.org/works/18777826), [Moiety - Crazy Cat Tale Version](https://archiveofourown.org/works/18826204), [Mercurial - Crazy Cat Tale Version](https://archiveofourown.org/works/18883795), [Effulgence - Crazy Cat Tale](https://archiveofourown.org/works/19101709), [Cadre - Crazy Cat Tale Version](https://archiveofourown.org/works/19201240), [Clarion - Crazy Cat Tale Version](https://archiveofourown.org/works/19251184), [Beneficence - Crazy Cat Tale Version](https://archiveofourown.org/works/19305271), [Foment - Crazy Cat Tale Version](https://archiveofourown.org/works/19447312), [Encumbrance - Crazy Cat Tale](https://archiveofourown.org/works/19740205), [Meticulous - Crazy Cat Tale Version](https://archiveofourown.org/works/19791220), [Irrefragable - Crazy Cat Tale Version](https://archiveofourown.org/works/19897759), [Posit - Crazy Cat Tale Version](https://archiveofourown.org/works/20001178), [Propinquity - Crazy Cat Tale Version](https://archiveofourown.org/works/20080516), [Subfusc - Crazy Cat Tale Version](https://archiveofourown.org/works/20121871), [Pugilist - Crazy Cat Tale Version](https://archiveofourown.org/works/20177194), and [Provenance - Crazy Cat Tale Version](https://archiveofourown.org/works/20324389).
> 
> As always comments, kudos, and constructive criticism are greatly appreciated.

Tony frowned at the gloaming. He had to make a decision about where to sleep tonight. The trees and his cat form were looking really tempting, but after what happened last night he just couldn’t chance it. 

Still, he had to sleep somewhere. With a sigh, Tony attempted to climb up the cat tree. It would have been hilarious if it were happening to someone else as he had to jump to reach the platform. 

It seemed so easy as a cat, but he missed the jump the first time. The second time he managed to grasp it with one hand, but slipped off because he didn’t have a firm purchase on the landing. Gibbs hissed and jumped onto the platform before he joined Tony in the fall. 

He was more dignified than that human. Tony finally managed to get on the first platform on his third try. He looked up the rest of the cat tree wondering if he should try to get higher.

It looked like the higher platforms had more room, but he wasn’t sure he could make it up to them. He’d had enough trouble getting on this one. Going anywhere with two backpacks, one in front and one in the back, wasn’t easy. 

While there was plenty of space for Gibbs to lay out or curl up or whatever he wanted, it was actually very small for a human. It looked huge when he was in his panther form, but as a human it was decidedly lacking. Even if he didn’t have the backpacks preventing him from laying down there wouldn’t be enough room for him to do so.

With a sigh, Tony sat down and rested his side against the tree trunk up to the next level. This would have to do. It was as comfortable as he was going to get. 

Of course, it wasn’t comfortable at all. The carpet or whatever these things were made out of was scratchy and made a very bad pillow. On top of that, he wasn’t really used to sleeping sitting up. 

Oh, sure, he did it sometimes at the office, but that was in a comfy chair and even then he preferred to stretch out on the floor. Still he was tired and his body would have to fall asleep at some point, right? Hours passed and Tony continued to lay awake. 

He hated it. He knew he needed to sleep, but he couldn’t. It wasn’t a safe place. 

He wasn’t in his panther form, so he had to stay alert for danger. On top of that, it felt like he was losing Gibbs. He could barely feel Gibbs in their bond now and he was worried about what that meant.

He’d never heard of anything like it, but then royalty had never mated with a human before. Maybe there was something different with royalty than with common cats that had mated with humans? Tony didn’t know, but he was worried. 

It seemed like Gibbs was becoming more and more cat like and losing his human self. Tony really hoped that he was imagining that and that there wasn’t anything actually wrong. Of course, the way his luck was going recently he wasn’t sure he could trust that. 

Gibbs watched the human, but eventually gave up and jumped up to the highest platform to bat at the yarn. Tony sighed. Cats were nocturnal.

He should have expected that Gibbs would want to play when it was time for him to sleep. On top of that, Gibbs had been napping on his shoulder for a while, so he had far more energy than Tony could hope to summon up. He was so ready to be out of this forest.

He just hoped that they didn’t run into any more possessive cats that would attempt to attack Gibbs. As much as Gibbs was getting better in the cat form, he wasn’t exactly practicing defending himself and would easily lose in a fight and while Tony could turn into a panther and save him again, who knew what would happen if he did. That strange compulsion to play still tugged at Tony and told him that it would be fine to turn into a cat and stay in the forest for the rest of his life.

The sun rose and Tony blinked awake. He was one big ball of pain. Apparently, he’d curled up in the middle of the night, or at least as much as he could with two backpacks on and now every single muscle in his body was cramped up or so it felt.

Still Tony knew he needed to get up and continue on his journey especially if he wanted his Gibbs back. Speaking of Gibbs, where was he? Tony stood up and looked at the top platform which is where he’d last seen Gibbs before he fell asleep, but Gibbs wasn’t there.

Gibbs hadn’t joined him to sleep during the night either, so where had his panther cub gone? “Gibbs?” Tony called questioningly.

He didn’t know whether Gibbs had wandered off on his own or whether he was in trouble. If Gibbs was in trouble, did Tony dare turn into a panther to find him? Would they lose another day to this?

If they did, Tony wasn’t sure if they were ever getting out of this forest. However, he had to find Gibbs first. He wasn’t going to abandon Gibbs in this forest whether he was a cat or not, right now.

He called Gibbs again. He yelled his name as loudly as he could, but no response. With a sigh, Tony knew he was going to have to search for Gibbs. 

He didn’t even know what direction Gibbs went in. This would be so much easier if Gibbs had left him a note or if there were others that Tony could question. At this rate, Tony was going to have to change into his panther form purely for the ability his panther had to sniff out Gibbs.

**Author's Note:**

> The dictionary.com series has .5 stories already written for it after this one, so I will be posting at least .5 stories before I stop posting again. I have no Crazy Cat Tale update written, but hopefully I'll get more written soon. Wish me luck!
> 
> It's 2019 now and I have closed my 2018 Prompt collection, but fear not my 2019 Prompt Collection is now open [here](https://archiveofourown.org/collections/cutsycat_NCIS_Prompts_2019/profile). Just click the sign up link. ;) It will remain open until the beginning of 2020. I'm hoping to complete all the 2019 prompts by the end of 2020. Do not fear I have not forgotten about the 2018 prompts and will continue working through them. It's just easier for me to not get overwhelmed if I keep the prompts separated by the year they were given to me.
> 
> If you are not an ao3 member, you can prompt me [here](http://cutsycat.livejournal.com/50701.html). Please follow the same rules as are listed in the above link. However, because this is a handmade prompt form(that thinks it's a poll), it is considerably more limited than what ao3 provides, so please use the ao3 form if you're an ao3 member. Please note the name option is for a name that I can say this is for so that you know it's for you. Since this is for non ao3 members it won't be true gifts, but you will be mentioned in the notes. Please note if you have already voted in the poll and would like to request more stories you can just add a comment to the poll. Please include the name along with the prompt, so that I can appropriately gift the prompt to you.
> 
> For any authors that want to chat and/or are looking for a place where they can toss plot ideas around and get input from people, you can come join my discord server that is specifically geared towards writing/encouraging people to write and authors. The invite link is [here](https://discord.gg/HFvwpCq). If you're not an author, but want to chat with me about writing/stories or anything else you are welcome to join. I reserve the right to boot you from my server if all you do is pester me about updates, however. *grin* Really anyone who wants to talk about writing and/or plot ideas for various stories is welcome to join. 
> 
> I do not currently have a discord dedicated to my stories. If anyone would be interested in joining a group chat server that is focused on my stories please comment below. Also, if you would like such a thing what kind of things would you like to know about? Please share those with me.
> 
> Also, Drakonyashka has translated a couple of my works into Russian. [Tutelage](http://archiveofourown.org/works/12378780) and [Imbue](http://archiveofourown.org/works/12378840). Go support them. 


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